Slammers crash back to earth after loss

The Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers came back to earth on Saturday night after a 124-83 loss at the hands of reigning champions Wanneroo.

The South West side headed into the clash full of confidence with their impressive round eight win over Perry Lakes, but was unable to replicate the heroics of the previous week, against one of the competition’s premier sides.

Led by Greg Hire, who helped himself to a triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Wanneroo got off to a fast start and held a 13-point quarter time lead.

The Wolves were particularly dominant in the third term when they outscored the South West side 29-16.

Seven Wanneroo players hit double figures, with Jordan Wild (23 points) and Damian Matacz (22) leading the scoring.

For the Slammers, Senario Hillman continued his strong vein of mid-season form with a game-high 29 points, while Trent Worthington continued his return from an ankle injury to score 12 and enforcer Carlos White had 15.

After clinching the SBL title last season, Wanneroo continue to put pressure on league leaders Lakeside, trailing the Lightning by two points on the ladder.

The Slammers sit in 12th spot on the table with three victories from their first 11 games —a significant improvement on last season but still two wins outside the top eight.

In the women's game, import Kim Sitzman continued to show she will be a valuable addition to the South West women’s side’s roster in 2012, scoring 33 points as the Slammers suffered their second defeat of the season on Saturday night.

Wanneroo claimed a slender 80-75 win, but after leading by 13-points at the first break, were forced to survive a Slammers revival in the subsequent quarters.

Valerie Ogoke (12 points) and Kara Hargreaves (10 points) also had an impact for the South West side who slipped to third on the ladder, after the loss.